Perhaps the most exciting celebration during our July Medical Mission to Armenia was the grand opening of our second Regional Eye Center in Armenia — and the first-ever eye clinic in the Lori province — the John and Hasmik Mgrdichian AECP Regional Eye Center in Spitak, Lori.
Equipped with a state-of-the-art operating room, two exam rooms, and the most advanced medical equipment — including cutting-edge technology that allows local surgeons in Spitak to communicate in real-time with ophthalmologists in Yerevan — the Regional Eye Center in Spitak ensures that residents in the Lori province, regardless of their income status, have access to quality eye care year-round, without having to wait for the Mobile Eye Hospital to visit their town or having to travel to Armenia’s capital for care.
“By establishing secondary level eye clinics, we foster accessibility and the continuity of eye care services in the regions of Armenia for all income groups,” AECP Founder Dr. Roger Ohanesian said. “Centers like this will provide care at no cost for patients living in poverty while simultaneously offering paid services to those who are not considered socially vulnerable. This will enable the center to become self-sustainable in order to continue providing services at no charge for the socially disadvantaged in Armenia.”
As part of the Armenian EyeCare Project’s Five-for-Five campaign — developing five Regional Eye Centers for $5 million by 2020 —The John and Hasmik Mgrdichian AECP Regional Eye Center in Spitak marks our second Regional Eye Center in Armenia.
The first Regional Eye Center, the Haig Boyadjian AECP Regional Eye Center, located in Ijevan, Tavush, celebrated its grand opening last year, during our 2015 Medical Mission to Armenia. The remaining three Regional Eye Centers will be located in Kapan, Syunik; Gyumri, Shirak; and Yeghegnadzor, Vayots Dzor.
You can participate in our Five-for-Five campaign and help Bring Sight to Armenian Eyes by funding an operating room, exam room or piece of equipment in an upcoming Regional Eye Center. There are several naming opportunities and all donors will be honored on a special wall in each clinic.
